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Waller History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Waller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The ancestral home of the Waller family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Waller is an occupational hereditary surname, a type of surname that was taken from a word describing or common to the profession of the original bearer. It is a name for a powerful warrior or an army ruler.

Early Origins of the Waller family

The surname Waller was first found in Bavaria, where the family made a considerable contribution to the feudal society which shaped modern Europe. Literally, the name refers to a "Wallfahrer," or a pilgrim. The first individual bearer of the name to be mentioned in ancient chronicles was Hugo Waller of Waldshut, Bavaria, in the year 1298.

Early History of the Waller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Waller research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1165 and 1548 are included under the topic Early Waller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Waller Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Waller include Waller, Wallner, Waler, Wal, Wall, Walle, Wallere, Wallert (Franconia), Walere, Wallern and many more.

Early Notables of the Waller family

Prominent among members of the name Waller in this period include

members of the powerful Waller zum Wildthurm family, who established themselves as leaders of Bavarian feudal society

Waller World Ranking

In the United States, the name Waller is the 784^th most popular surname with an estimated 37,305 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Waller is ranked the 950^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,176 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Waller is the 869^th popular surname with an estimated 842 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Waller as 580^th with 11,299 people. 4

Waller migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Waller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. John Waller, who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship "Discovery" in 1607 5
Mr. Charles Waller, (b. 1598), aged 22, British servant who arrived in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship "Abigaile" 6
Christopher Waller, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1620 7
Charles Waller, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 7
Mr. Jo. Waller, aged 19, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Waller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Fredrick Waller, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 7
Johann Frederick Waller, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1730
Nicholas Waller, aged 41, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738 7
Johann Peter Waller, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 7
Jacob Waller, who arrived in Maryland in 1749 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Waller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Richard Waller, who landed in America in 1801-1802 7
Henry Waller, who landed in New York in 1814 7
Iver Waller, who arrived in Illinois in 1837 7
Alfred Waller, who landed in New York, NY in 1845 7
while Carl Waller, who settled in Texas in 1850 at the age of 36
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Waller Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Isabella Waller, aged 50, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Waller migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Waller Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James Waller U.E. who settled in St. Stephen, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Port Matoon Association 8

Waller Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick Waller, aged 28 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "James Moran" departing 22nd May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 11th July 1847 but he died on board 9

Waller Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Arthur H Waller, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Waller migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Waller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Waller, English convict from Cambridge, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
William Waller, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mrs. Catherine Waller, (b. 1809), aged 22, English servant who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales, listed as having her son aboard the ship 12
Miss Eliza Waller, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 14th July 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Cornelius Waller, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Waller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Waller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Waller, aged 40, a farm labourer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 15
Mary Waller, aged 40, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 15
Mary Waller, aged 16, a sempstress, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 15
Charlotte Waller, aged 14, a sempstress, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 15
Mr. Alfred Waller, British settler referred to as the Parkhurst Boys travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th November 1843, he had been taught trades and pardoned to live in New Zealand 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Waller migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Waller Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Waller, aged 17, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 7
Andrew Waller, who settled in Barbados in 1639

Contemporary Notables of the name Waller (post 1700) +

Frank Waller (1885-1941), American two time sliver Olympic medalist for 400m Hurdles and running at the 1904 games
Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904-1943), American jazz musician, posthumously inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame
William Lowe "Bill" Waller Sr. (b. 1926), American politician, Governor of Mississippi (1972 to 1976)
Littleton "Tony" Waller Tazewell Waller (1856-1926), American United States Marine Corps Major General
Edwin Waller (1800-1881), American judge and entrepreneur, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the first mayor of Austin, Texas
Charles "Charlie" Waller (1935-2004), American bluegrass musician
Benjamin Waller (1716-1786), American attorney and judge in Virginia
Tye Waller (b. 1957), American Major League Baseball first base coach
Constance Waller (b. 1926), prominent American educator and counselor
Casper D. Waller, American politician, Member of Wisconsin State Assembly, 1943-49 18
... (Another 43 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Waller family +

Bismarck

Johann Waller (1919-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 19
Daniel Waller (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 19

HMS Cornwall

Wilfred Neville Waller, British Lieutenant aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 20

HMS Hood

Mr. William J Waller (b. 1920), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 21

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 98)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fanny
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm